BLOG — partnership

Our team traveled to Guatemala in the Spring of 2020, fortunately before air travel was nearly prohibited and COVID-19 had taken a stronghold on the global economy to visit our long-standing partners at the San Miguel mill. While sourcing and cupping new coffees on the origin trip, Ferris’ VP of Coffee Operations, Sam Mirto, had a chance to try this new crop from El Vergel. Not only did the cupping score and tasting notes alert Mirto to its potential but also the fact that it came from a coffee program, Café Femenino, designed to ethical sourcing model committed to ending the...

How We Choose Coffee Earlier this year, a team from Ferris was fortunate to travel down to Guatemala to visit our partners at the San Miguel Mill located just outside of Antigua. While there, our certified Q-grader and VP of Coffee Operations, Sam Mirto, along with Education Assistant, Hannah McClure, cupped over 80 different coffees the farm had to offer. Check out the behind the scenes look at what it takes to cup that many coffees and how we choose what we decide to bring back to you!  We have been doing business with our partners at the San Miguel...

Our Brazil Cerrado, which we call by the more generic name “Santos,” is sourced through our friends at Ally Coffee, who have named this particular selection Paubrasil. Paubrasil is named for Brazil’s national tree and exemplifies the consistent quality created by Brazil’s seasoned farmers, who use all available technologies to advance production by growing coffees that offer balanced, smooth profiles, despite changing environmental conditions. About the Region Cerrado Mineiro is an ideal coffee-growing region in Brazil. Situated in high-altitude at nearly 800-1300 masl and flat terrain. This mild climate lets coffee cherries ripen consistently. Since the 1960's, after much work re-working...

For ten years, LaughFest has been giving Grand Rapids something to look forward to in the early Spring days. Gilda’s LaughFest, the nation’s first-ever community-wide festival of laughter, has quickly earned a reputation for being one of the nation’s marquee events for both participants and artists. This major 10- day Midwest festival is based in Grand Rapids and includes events throughout West Michigan. Created by Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids and launched in March 2011 to celebrate laughter for the health of it, the festival features stand-up, improv, showcases and a variety of seriously funny stuff. They are serious about their “funny," bringing guests like Jim Gaffigan, Wayne Brady,...